Following the collapse of the Soviet Union an agreement was put in place between Russia and Tadjikistan that the border with Afghanistan would be patrolled by Russian border guards. This is a highly popular border point for drug traffickers whose sole intention is to cross it undetected.

Federal Border Guards – The “Volkosoby” (Russian for wolf dog) is a relatively new breed of Wolf Dog, bred by the Russian military to help defend and protect the Chinese and Mongolian borders of Russia. Bred in the Perm Institute of Internal Troops it originated in Russia in year 2000. A fully trained wolf dog is valued at $2,000-$3,000.

Powerful animals they are the size of, and the grip of a wolf, but retain an obedient and friendly attitude to people who are not a threat. None-the-less they are not officially sold, being instead, rented to internal security organisations.

The first 200+ wolf-dog puppies bred at The University of Cologne were considered to be a failure as they all expressed the typical wolf characteristics of extreme fearful-caution around humans. Therefore the subsequent breeding success at Russia’s Perm Institute of Interior Forces was both a big surprise and a major achievement. Such good fortune could have been achieved by virtue of the fact that the She-wolf used in the breeding process was an exceptionally, and uncharacteristically friendly and sociable wolf. And contrary to the natural wolf nature she got on just great with humans.

She herself, despite having the choice of mates, chose a male dog as her mate rather than a male wolf, and her pups are the beautiful and unique military/police dogs with their high level intelligence and the benefit of their enhanced wolf instincts that today the Russians have the great pleasure and privilege of training.

The wolf part of the breed mix involves the Caspian Sea Wolf, officially known as Steppe Wolf but also referred to as the Causican Wolf. It was classified by Ivan Dwigubski a Russian scientist in 1804 as Canis lupus campestris a subspecies of the Grey Wolf. Originating in the countries around the Caspian Sea and Black Sea, it is now found only in remote regions SW of Russia, bordering the northern half of the Caspian Sea, though it has also been sighted in N Afghanistan and Iran and from time to time, the steppe regions of Romania and Hungary.

Caspian Sea wolves weigh between 35-40 kg (77-88 lbs.); have short coats in a variety of grey shades, with overlay hair in rust or brown and black shades across their back. They also have a characteristically thinly furred tail. Asian and Kazakhstan Steppe wolves are inclined to lean heavily towards more reddish toned pelts but in both cases these are the colours of the desert and designed to allow the wolves to blend into their surroundings. They are slightly smaller than the Eurasian wolf – used in the creation of the Czechoslovakian Wolf dog and not to be confused with it, and its fur is scanter, bristlier and shorter.

“Volkosoby” – Russian wolf dogs take on a variety of specialized tasks. Some are trained specifically to track mines, others are trained in drugs and alcohol detection techniques, and every checkpoint has three or four tracker wolf dogs.

It is the job of border guard headquarters to ensure there are sufficient numbers of appropriately and fully trained wolf dogs to cover all border posts. Wolf dogs in training guard the perimeters, guaranteeing absolutely, that no one has any chance whatsoever of getting past them.

Wolf dogs are very friendly work-loving creatures. “When they enter the training hall their teeth chatter as they are impatient to do exercises.” ~ Animal trainer Olga Galperina. And they have excelled on dog training programmes regularly out-performing the dogs.

In trainingGerman Shepherd Dogs took a good four minutes to sniff out a ‘criminal’ hiding in a confined space of the building. The wolf dogs took a maximum time of between fifteen and twenty seconds! (BELOW)

Unlike dogs who naturally love to run around enthusiastically investigating the training grounds in a hectic, unruly fashion prior to getting down to the process of actually working, these Russian Wolf Dogs cut straight to the chase. One circle of the area in question to establish relevant locations, is all that they find necessary before initiatiating a speedy no-nonsense track-down of the drugs, criminals or explosives hidden around the training area.

They also display an eagerness to be involved in exhibition activities at the Institute’s ‘Championship Competitions of the Internal Troop Service.’(RIGHT>>>)

The wolf dogs are considered to be “strategic weapons.”

They have proven themselves in conditions close to the area of the North Caucasus fighting, and show a keenness to work on the oil pipelines searching for illegal connections, detecting explosives in vehicles entering oil installations.

The Russian wolf dog has proved to have a great affinity for the search and apprehension of intruders and in contrast to their German Shepherd Dog counterparts can easily trail criminals on the run for a good two days at a time without tiring.

Wolfie, this is an excellent Post with information about the Wolf dog I had not come across before… you have to admit they are a handsome dog.. But rather fierce when they want to be.. As can the German Shepherd be trained to be.. And yet I know of some really good old softies who are also excellent around children and very protective to their owners..
You have put this together Wolfie with an wonderful array of photos.. Thank you… I really enjoyed reading and seeing all those pictures ~Sue Hugs

They are indeed very handsome! Like the GSD they combine brains and beauty…they have the potential to make good, sociable family wolf-dogs too I believe. Generally speaking trained dogs/wolf dogs are only aggressive on command and in particular circumstances. Thanks for stopping by, good to see you 🙂

Always enjoy your well put together posts Wolfie.. :-).. Been having probs just getting here tonight.. My lap-top playing games with me.. have a good rest of the week and try not to get that Fur all wet… I got soaked today!.. But All good fun splashing about in the rain.. xxx Hugs 😉

Yes I know the feeling! It’s taken till now to get back online and the mobiles aren’t much better…thinking bad weather as both require half decent signals to function…GRRRRRR!! Hope yours gets its act together quick sharpish 🙂 My fur is cool thanks 😉 more than I can say for the now drowned rat that appeared in the rat trap tonight! It was a giant one!! Thought we’d got them all ages ago, just hope there aren’t anymore lurking around! Stay warm and dry xx 🙂

Fantastic Blog Post Wolfie! I read it with great interest. These dogs look to be perfect for the job and what’s really interesting is the breed. A new breed of dog…(they seem to have a bit of Husky in them)….looks like the Russians have developed a new secret weapon….

Hey! Great to see you here! The Russians seem to have done themselves proud with this particular new breed dog and a very handsome “strategic weapon” it is too 😉 Huskies being very wolf like themselves are a very common denominator in most breeds of wolf dog 🙂

So glad you agree about their beauty! I took “shepherd” to mean GSD…lol…otherwise I might have started worrying! lol 😉 Maybe in time they will be available as personal dogs as well as military and you could try your hand at breeding one with your GSD 🙂 They were bred to work though, so like GSD’s they probably need to be kept busy with tasks that utilise their intelligence and keep them mentally stimulated 🙂

Hey Icywolfy I like the whole layout of this fine posting my great friend,
was this the post that you thought might have been lost after your laptop
crashed on you? 😦 Well if it is, you have added a brilliant one here with
this one, the dogs look brilliant and the crispness of your writing adds a
wonderful edge to the whole posting. The Russian Wolf Dogs have such
a demanding role detecting those explosives, but what a proud looking
creature they truly are 🙂 Those fangs look sharp on the border patrol
photographs and I wouldn’t want those sinking into my backside I can
tell you Ouuuuch 😦 The grey Caspian Sea Wolves are fine creatures too,
you certainly know your dogs and wolves icywolfy of the Icy Realm and
what a fangtastic treat this posting is, you have definitely excelled with it
my great friend and thank you for adding this one 🙂 Brilliant work 🙂

Hey don’t you be forgetting the
Mythology postings though, or else? 🙂 lol

Hi Androgoth 🙂 Good to see you vamping your way through this post! The layout was a nightmare, as may have showed in W/P reader – took 3 attempts to get it posted without everything all mixed up and all over the place. The browser played havoc with the layout! But assuming it shows properly on your screen you will probably see why I wasn’t keen to attempt re-creating it on a different laptop whilst the other one was in for it’s tune-up. (no crash just insurance freebie I followed up and everything was saved on external drive) It’s fiddly and time consuming and it still hasn’t come out perfect in the browser despite numerous adjustments. Maybe you should buy a few of these dogs to patrol the borders of the Gothic Realm to keep the trolls away!Such proud and fierce creatures would surely be a great asset! Thank you for your generous comment too. I enjoyed this post immensely and hopefully that shows through. I think our best posts…in our own minds at least…lol…tend to be the ones we enjoy the most ourselves 🙂

Yes I agree on the posting valuations, I too favour some above others while a lot are just plain mediocre, for me anyway 🙂

Hey sometimes I post a script three, four or five times just to get the right look, well I have always been a bit of a perfectionist so that explains that one, so your two or three attempts are minimal compared to some of mine 🙂 lol But yours look brilliant so you did a great job Icywolfy 🙂 Yes a few of those dogs would be a great idea, those trolls wouldn’t stand a chance with them around 😉

Have a great evening Icywolfy and onto the next posting okay, did someone mention Mythology? 🙂 lol Kidding…

Cheeky vampire 😉 lol 🙂 … No! lol Nobody mentioned anything about mythology…I’m sure they didn’t 😉 Positive in fact!! 😉 Sorry I’ve not been to yours and jen’s posts yet, I know they’re there but tonight’s blog visiting plans were thwarted 1st by the need for an unexpected giant RAT dispatch lol then a temperamental refusing to work till now connection. Better luck tomorrow, haven’t got to anyone’s tonight but my own! Ooops 😉 Thanks for your Vampy seal of blog approval, always very reassuring 🙂 And yes, I like you am a perfectionist and it is REALLY bugging me that I can’t get a certain piece of writing in this post to sit where it’s supposed to be,,,which is NOT between two pic’s!!! Will be over to yours first visit tomorrow, pronto 🙂

It’s not at all silly Rumpy! 😉 Humans are nowhere near adept enough at such matters to do the job properly! They need all the help they can get!! 🙂 I think you’re just being a little bit lazy Rumpy!! lol 😉

HoooOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLooooooo rmactsc 🙂 And greetings from the Pack! Thank you for taking the time to visit and leave a comment, you are always very welcome here so feel free to stop by any time should you wish 🙂 Your wolf dog sounds awesome and I should imagine is a very fine looking animal too with the Alaskan Malamute and wolf combi 🙂

i want one!!! OMG they are beautiful! every now and then a design is right, ey? probably because these arent bred for foofy owners who want something to meet their fashion demands. ya, these dogs are awesome!

i love the shot of the dog looking at the camera as they march by. like, ‘ i look good, though, right?’ heh!

thanks for sharing all this. you always do present a wonderful exposé on a variety of interesting subjects.
k☼

Hey Kirstin! I totally couldn’t have put it better myself! That was exactly my reaction to these awesome and unique dogs! You took the words right out of my mouth! Thank you for your great comment, it’s fantastic when you find someone who is so in tune with your own thinking that they say exactly what was on your own mind…and do so with class and style! 🙂

Yeah…that shot of the dog eyeballing the camera was way cool and just had to be posted! There seems to be a combi of different breeds there, including (2nd one in at the front) a Malinois (Belgian Shepherd Dog) as in “Cairo, the dog who cornered Bin Laden” so very much the elite of the K9 military! x 🙂

They do indeed 🙂 And your “More on Tripwires” was excellent and you explained and expressed your thoughts brilliantly. I was genuinely impressed and could genuinely really relate to what you said. I think you did yourself proud with it 🙂

Oh yeah! Power to the people dog!! HoooOOOOOOOOOOOwwwwwWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLL!! Huskies and Malamutes are very common in the wolf dog mix alongside the German Shepherd Dog and the end result is largely dependant on the degree of wolf content in the mix 🙂

Thanks AirportsMadeSimple! Great to see you 🙂 Yes they are wonderfully regal dogs…quite swept me off my Wolfie paws they did! Now…perhaps you could direct me to the next flight to Russia? I want one!! 🙂

Neither had I, apart from a brief, about 3 lines lol mention of them a couple of years ago. Most of what I have gleaned is translated from Russian sources. I guess they like to keep their “secret weapons” under wraps 😉

Beautiful animal
we have close to our home a police dog trainingarea. Sunday morning we used to run there ( before my meniscus surgery) and we saw them training.
Packman was a job for the real guys lol.

But i always wonder with the drugtrafic dogs…. ( Why they react on the drugs???
well we had a day off today Queens day and for the first time we have the sun here (only today) so
out out out
bye now Wolfy
MJ

HoooOOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLoooooooooooo! Police dog training is fun! We have several sniffer dogs in training at our local shopping centre 😉 I don’t think they get too much work done as the public are very keen to stop and make friends with the dogs who are usually very happy to be made friends with!! They are supposedly making our area a safer place 🙂

We had sunshine here today too…unfortunately it wasn’t Queens day here and nobody got a day off! The 7th is the May day Bank Holiday though 🙂 Great that you had a good sunny day for Queens day…what is Queens day by the way? We don’t have it over here so I am curious now! Hope you enjoyed out in the sun!! Wolfie hugs 🙂

Hey did someone mention Mythology by any chance? 🙂 lol
I think one on Zeus could be a good idea next, or maybe a
posting on the Greeks, or Atlantis, or… Well anything that I
will really like and all of these will go down very well indeed 🙂

Thanks jen 🙂 And I’m very sorry to hear you had such a bad K9 experience. GSD’s tend to be somewhat less highly strung and in my experience rather more stable!! And I am yet to meet a GSD that has tried to bite my hand off lol unlike a certain other breed that shall remain anon’ 😉 Granted it was tired and stressed at the time but it was also supposed to be a show dog of excellent temperament…yes…well…maybe! Your cuddly border collie sounds lovely. The London Pet Show will be underway in 2 weeks and the teams of “flyball” border collies that go there are the friendliest cuddliest bundles of K9 fun going! The whole pack launches at you together with the soul purpose of being the first in line for a cuddle and big hug!! I hope you have a much happier time with this little collie of yours jen 🙂 x Icy

Very informative and totally enlighting! The Russian ‘wolf-dog’ appears to be the one to have for several jobs to be done efficently.
You may not have total control over your laptop but you certainly have it over your blogging. Great job!
love always, Eddie

Thank you Eddie 🙂 And I certainly don’t have control over this particular laptop! It has a mind of it’s own and is very rebellious 😉 I will show it your comment and see if it takes a hint…failing that a Russian Wolf-Dog would probably know how to keep it under control!!

I 110% agree! They are stunning and gorgeous! Actually I’ve been having a lot of fun learning Russian dog commands – I have a post ready to go up on another site regarding this interesting past time 😉 It will be interesting to see how dog people react to the idea of training their dogs in a different language and the reasons why it could be a cool move! Yes! Really! There are reasons believe it or not! Quite good ones too 😀

Link? Also, quick question, why does it seem like so many of the persons here know you, and perhaps have met you? Another quick question, which I mean no offense by—and I do sincerely apologize if it causes you any—are you a furry?

Link to the other site? Mentioned post never went up due to circumstances outside my control. None of these people have met me in person only online. They are a great example of how online friendships can develop and last across the years if nurtured and cared for properly. Many of us met on Windows Live Spaces before it handed us over to WordPress. Friends grew from there. No I’m not a furry lol just like to unleash my inner wolf from time to time 🙃 Thanks for the visit and the comment!

Ooops! How rude of me!!! I didn’t realise I hadn’t replied to this one 😦 My most humble apologies, and it was such a lovely comment too 🙂 I’m so glad you share my views on these magnificent creatures! I daydream about how beautiful wolves are every day 😉 Thank you for you great visit and lovely comment…albeit I am almost 2 months late replying!!! 🙂

Hi! Thank you very much for the visit 🙂 Greetings from the Pack! So far as I know and as I understand it, they are bred by the Russian military and would not be available for public sale. They are rented out rather than sold to particular organisations only. But do correct me if I’m wrong! I’m always open to updates 🙂

Hi Corey 🙂 Thanks for the visit, you’re always very welcome here and thank you for your thoughtful comment! Much appreciated! There are various sharing options at the top of the comments section…maybe I need more of them?!! 😉 I will check to see if there are other options available to add to the current offerings…thank you for the suggestion, this type of feedback is particularly helpful and welcomed. Have a fantastic week….and a very Happy New Year 2014 to you!

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Ice wolves of Europa. Intergalactic star wolves running with the moon and the stars in the light of another world. Callers of the moon wolves-song and interstellar hunters across the icy surface of the Europan seas. Echoing the call of an alien world and the whispering of the moonshadows, the call of the star songs, and the dream of worlds beyond the stars and cities in the sky.